Wet Seal LLC, which has a store at the Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township, is planning to close all of its locations, the latest retailer to fall amid a difficult climate for companies that rely heavily on brick-and-mortar sales.

The impending shuttering comes after Wet Seal, of Irvine, Calif., had been seeking capital and exploring restructuring options in an effort to continue operations into the foreseeable future, Wet Seal Vice President and General Counsel Michelle Stocker wrote in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed with California's Employment Development Department.

"Unfortunately, the company was unable to obtain the necessary capital or identify a strategic partner, and was recently informed that it will receive no further financing for its operations," Stocker wrote. "As a result, the company has no alternative but to proceed with an orderly liquidation."

The closings include the Wet Seal at the Lehigh Valley Mall, mall manager John Ferreira confirmed through a spokesperson. But, he added, the shopping center has no further details available on the store's closing date or a plan to replace the retailer at the mall.

The news of Wet Seal's closings — first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday — will put 148 people out of work by March 21 at the company's headquarters in California, according to the WARN notice. According to the retailer's website, the company employs a total of more than 3,000 people when including its corporate office, field and store associates.

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Wet Seal, which sells apparel, footwear and accessories designed for teen girls and young women, operates 171 stores in 42 states, including seven stores in Pennsylvania.

The chain, which was founded in 1962 in Newport Beach, Calif., used to have a larger presence.

In January 2015, Wet Seal filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, an announcement that came about a week after the retailer said it was closing 338 stores, which was about two-thirds of its locations at that time. Then, in April 2015, Versa Capital Management acquired Wet Seal out of bankruptcy and said it would continue operating its then-173 stores.

Versa, a Philadelphia private-equity firm, declined to comment Friday. In addition, Stocker did not immediately respond to an email seeking information as to when Wet Seal stores would close.

While Wet Seal is the most recent nationwide retailer to announce closures, it joins a lengthy list of retailers that have reached the same conclusion.

For example, women's apparel designer The Limited closed all its brick-and-mortar stores during the first weekend of January. The nearest location to the Lehigh Valley was at the King of Prussia Mall.

In addition, American Apparel sold its brand and manufacturing equipment to Gildan Activewear for $88 million earlier this month. Its remaining 110 stores will likely close by April.